Fairview Southdale Weight Loss Surgery Bariatric Center

I first thought he was very professional and experienced. The clinic is very professional and aftercare was wonderful. They have been kind and available. The aftercare program is very detailed and all questions were answered by the clinic staff.I felt very prepared throughout my surgery and aftercare.rn Since I have had some difficulties with my lapband, my experience with the doctor has changed. I feel disrespected, not heard with regard to symptoms, my questions have been answered curtly, as if I am too much trouble. rn I am a strong believer in the teamwork approach to physician/patient relationship, with questions answered by the doctor and where the patient is respected as a valid member of the team. With lapband, surgical competence is important, of course, but it is important to feel you can communicate well with your surgeon because it is a long term relationship. You need fills and sometimes unfills over the years. You need someone you can communicate clearly with and you feel listens with an open mind. rn I didn't think about the long term nature of the relationship when I had my surgery and chose a surgeon.

I just met with my surgeon last week for the first time. Dr. Pierce seems very nice and is straight forward. I like that. He answered all of my questions and was very willing to sit and talk to me. I didn't feel rushed. The office staff has been so nice and patient with all of my calls and all of the hastles that have come up so far with my insurance company. Aftercare seems to be a really strong focus at FVSD WLS Clinic and that makes me feel at ease, as I'm sure I will need support through the process. I am planning on having the lapband which is not as common as RNY in this area, but he explained everything to me and I feel confident in him as a surgeon.

I finaly met with Dr. Benn. I like him very much and i feel very confident with him working with me. I was accepted by the insurance company within 2 weeks and im scheduled for October 1st. rnDr. Benn has a great office with very caring and comforting staff members. They have even been through the surgeries themselves and are doing great. They are upfront with great ideas to help you get ready for whats to come. I have really enjoyed my time with this Office.

I met Dr. Pierce when I had breast cancer. He performed a lumpectomy for me and put in a portacatheter. When resesearching him, I learned his two special areas of interest are breast cancer surgery and weight loss surgery. rnIf I'd never had breast cancer, I would never have met Dr. Pierce. rnMy impression of him initially was that he 'seemed to know what he was doing'. I became more informed and realized that he did know what he was doing!rnrnHis office staff was nice. They were thorough at the beginning, not so much the further out I got from surgery.rnrnThere isn't anything I liked 'least' about Dr. Pierce.rnFuture patients should be ready to take responsibility for themselves. He, nor his group, do not coddle you.rnHe emphasizes after care alot. I knew without a doubt that the surgery was only the first step; a tool in my weight loss. If I didn't follow their after care directions, I'd have pain and eventually less successful results.rnThey do not really have a structured after care program. You go see them a week or so after the surgery, 3 months and you're supposed to after 6 months. I missed that one and no one seemed to notice or care. Since it is my responsibility to make the appointments, I did when I finally remembered. I found a support group through another hospital that has been very helpful. I don't believe Dr. Pierce's group has this; or if they do, I don't know about it.rnHe made me very aware of the risks. rnI would rate him as A++.rnI think surgical competence is the most important, and think both are great. Dr. Pierce has both. I would do it over with him as my surgeon again in a heartbeat!rnrnI do not have anything negative to say about Dr. Pierce or his group. Again, one must take responsibilty for oneself.rnThe negative part of the experience for me is that I have had severe gas and abdoninal (colin) pain; no one has been able to figure out what the cause is. I don't think it has anything to do with the dr. -- I just wish they were able to tell me what to do differently so I didn't have the pain.

Dr. Benn rocks....he is so informative that after he got done talking I didn't even have a question...he he. He is so kind, and so smart!! The office staff is unbelievable!!! I so love Gina, she makes you feel like you are not alone is this, and Gretchen she is so so so nice...I also found out the Dr. Benn did my best friends adrenalectomy..so he will have seen both of us naked, and both of our insides...LOL

• What was your first impression of him/her? Confidentrn• How did your impression change over time? It hasn’t yet. rn• How would you describe his/her office staff? Polite, personal, professional. rn• What did you like least about him/her? He didn’t really say/do anything that I disliked.rn• What should future patients know about him/her? He’s a very strict surgeon, but has the patients well being at heart. rn• How much does he/she emphasize aftercare? You can’t get the surgery without it. rn• Does he/she have a structured aftercare program? Dear Lord yes!rn• How did he/she address the risks of surgery? Plainly & with charts and diagrams. There is also a class. rn• How would you rate him/her overall? On a scale of 1-10, 10. rn• Which is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or are both great? His record speaks for itself. I’ve never had surgery before, so I took selection very seriously. rn

Dr. Pierce was fantastic! I had a complication about 11 months post-op and he was very concerned and attentive to my case. I was leaving on a 3-week vacation within 5 weeks of being hospitalized and he wanted to be sure that I was ready for that trip. He even took time out of his schedule to call upon my return from my vacation to see how the trip was and to be sure that everything was going OK after the complication I had gone through. In this day and age, I think that is almost unheard for a physician to follow up like that with a patient and speaks strongly to Dr. Pierce's concern and care for his patients!! I have recommended friends to Dr. Pierce for WLS and would go back to him for any general surgery needs that I have in the future!! Excellent, caring surgeon!

He is a confident man. Very thorough in description of the surgery process and options. When my husband and I went in for my surgery consultation my husband was unsure of me proceding with the surgery. He respected my husbands concerns and empathized with him as a husband and a concern for a wife. He did not push for a decision right then. Rather he encouraged us to go home and discuss and think about it. That gave us time and space to come to our decision with absolutely no pressure.rnI would recommend Dr. Pierce as he is straight forward in his discussions with you and about the surgey is only a tool. Dr. Pierce and his staff are a fabulous team of professionals.rnI cannot say anything negative about him as my experience went well from the insurance proposal to surgery, and my recovery. It was a group effort not only by him, but his staff!

I have to say that Dr. Benn was excellent! His staff is friendly and helpful. I have referred two people to the clinic and they are scheduled for surgery already. He is very upfront and lets you know all risks involved. He was kind and caring at all times. Dr. Benn is a A+++ in my book!

I was referred to Dr. Pierce through another MD that I work with. His wife is a surgeon who is in the same surgery team. She said there was no doubt who should do it because Dr. Pierce is a \"technical genius.\" When my mom and I went to meet him, we could see why she told us to see him. He was fabulous! My mom was very concerned, but Dr. Pierce answered all her questions and made us both feel very comfortable with my decision to have surgery. On the day of surgery, he was running behind because of scheduling conflicts, but he came to the pre-op area and made sure I was OK and ready to go. Once surgery began, it only took 1.5 hrs! He told my parents that once he got in it was all textbook. (That's why it's so important to follow your pre-op instructions and lose your weight!) I felt great after surgery and by the next day I was ready to go home. I joked with him that I wanted to leave, but he said I had to stay to make sure there was no leakage and that I could take fluids ok. When he checked in on me post-op day #2, he said \"What are you still doing here? Didn't I send you home?\" He couldn't believe how good I looked and said I was far ahead of where I should be. I went home a couple hours later.rnI would recommend him to ANYONE! He has a great personality and treats you like family. He makes sure that each one of his patients are 100% to have surgery AND are 100% committed to the post-op plan. Both he and Fairview Southdale Weight Loss Surgery are wonderful!!! They take the time to get to know you follow up with everything. They make sure you are comfortable and don't make you feel like a number.